Latest news with #mining accident
Arab News
6 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Chile copper mine to restart operations after deadly collapse
SANTIAGO: The world's largest underground copper mine was set to resume operating on Sunday, after a deadly cave-in suspended work for more than a week. Chile's Mining Ministry ordered El Teniente to halt activity on August 1 to allow rescuers to search for five miners trapped after a 'seismic event' caused the collapse of a tunnel the day before. All five were found dead. Whether the cause of the shaking was due to an earthquake or drilling remains under investigation. State-owned operator Codelco said normal operations would resume on Sunday. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, responsible for nearly a quarter of global supply, with about 5.3 million metric tons (5.8 million tons) in 2024. El Teniente contributed 356,000 metric tons — nearly seven percent — of the country's total copper. The metal is critical for wiring, motors and renewable energy technology. Chile's mining industry is considered among the safest in the world, with a fatality rate of 0.02 percent in 2024, according to the National Geology and Mining Service of Chile.
Washington Post
03-08-2025
- Washington Post
Chilean rescuers recover the bodies of 4 miners who were trapped in a collapsed shaft
BOGOTA, Colombia — The bodies of four out of five miners trapped in a collapsed section of one of Chile's biggest copper mines for three days have been found and identified, an official said Sunday. Rescue workers at the El Teniente mine, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the capital Santiago, are still looking for the fifth miner, identified as Moises Pavez, mine director Andres Music said.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Collapse at Chile's major copper mine kills 1 worker and leaves 5 missing
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A collapse at a copper mine in Chile killed one worker and left five trapped underground, authorities said Friday, forcing Chile's state mining company to suspend operations in affected areas of the world's largest underground copper deposit. Nine other mine workers suffered injuries, said Chile's National Copper Corp., known as Codelco, describing the incident as the result of 'a seismic event.' The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5 earthquake in an area of central Chile where Codelco's El Teniente mine is located, at 5:34 p.m. local time on Thursday. Codelco reported the tremor had a magnitude of 4.2. Authorities said they're still investigating whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or whether mining activity at Codelco's flagship El Teniente mine caused the quake. Chilean prosecutors also launched a criminal investigation to determine whether any safety standards were violated. Chile's national disaster response service, Senapred, said that the tremor struck the Machalí commune in the O'Higgins region, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the capital, Santiago. Codelco identified the deceased as Paulo Marín Tapia and said he had been working on the Andesita project, a new 25-kilometer (15-mile) tunnel complex extending from the El Teniente mine on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains. That expanded section had only recently started to produce copper. The company said that search-and-rescue teams had determined the exact location of the partial collapse but could not communicate with the five trapped workers. As the mountain shook, mounds of rocks and dirt caved in, falling into the tunnel where the five miners were working and blocking all access routes to the sites 900 meters underground. It was not clear whether the workers were alive or dead, but Codelco emphasized it was treating its efforts as a rescue operation. The names of the trapped miners were not released. 'We are making every effort to try to rescue these five miners,' said Andrés Music, general manager of El Teniente, detailing rescue operations involving 100 experts, including some of whom participated in the dramatic 2010 rescue of 33 trapped miners in northern Chile — who, after 69 days underground, emerged alive and into the spotlight of international celebrity. 'The next 48 hours are crucial,' Music said. Codelco halted operations at the affected section of the copper mine and evacuated 3,000 people from the wider site to safe areas. The company canceled a presentation of its first-half financial results, set for Friday morning, due to the rescue efforts. Chile, the world's largest copper producer, also lies in the seismically active 'Ring of Fire' that surrounds the shores of the Pacific Ocean. ___ Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at Nayara Batschke, The Associated Press
Washington Post
01-08-2025
- Washington Post
Collapse at Chile's major copper mine kills 1 worker and leaves 5 missing
SANTIAGO, Chile — A collapse at a copper mine in Chile killed one worker and left five trapped underground, authorities said on Friday, forcing Chile's state mining company to suspend operations in the affected area of the world's largest underground copper deposit. Nine other mine workers suffered injuries, said Chile's National Copper Corporation, known as Codelco, describing the incident as the result of 'a seismic event.'
New York Times
01-08-2025
- New York Times
5 Missing After Deadly Mine Collapse in Chile
Chile's state mining company shut one of its largest copper mines on Thursday after a partial collapse killed at least one person. Rescuers were searching for five others on Friday. The National Copper Corporation of Chile, known as Codelco, said a 'seismic event' on Thursday afternoon caused the accident. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude-5 earthquake 17 miles northeast of Machali, where the El Teniente mine is located, at 5:34 p.m. local time. In a statement, Codelco said Paulo Marin Tapia was killed while working on the Andesita project, which is part of an expansion of the El Teniente mine. Rescue teams were searching for five missing workers on Friday morning. Nine others were injured, according to Codelco. Operations at the mine were immediately suspended after the incident on Thursday afternoon, Codelco said.
